Elijah Craig Ryder Cup 2025 Ltd. Ed. Bourbon Review

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Actually, it isn’t much of a secret because I’ve been saying this for years. I’m an Elijah Craig fanboy. Back when I first started drinking Bourbon, that big, red 12 on the label stood out to me, and I fell in love.

 

A lot of fans got their panties in a bunch back in January 2016 when Heaven Hill announced that it would drop the 12-year age statement from its Small Batch Bourbon. They were screaming about how awful the new version tasted. The problem? It hasn’t yet been released, so they hadn’t tasted it. It was more about throwing a temper tantrum than anything else. People were even taking it out on Bernie Lubbers, claiming that he lost all of his credibility.

 

I wasn’t on that bandwagon. In fact, I wrote about how humorous I found the whole “controversy” to be back in 2018 when I was still writing for Bourbon & Banter. The dust had settled, and Elijah Craig lost no popularity; in fact, it surged with its new Private Barrel program and its continued Barrel Proof releases.

 

I guarantee that many of those same naysayers are still drinking Elijah Craig today. Why? Because all grandstanding aside, it is an incredibly solid, classic, affordable Bourbon, and they know it.

 

Now, that’s not to suggest that everything Elijah Craig’s label is on is excellent. I panned Elijah Craig Rye back in 2022. I’ve had some Private Barrels that were on the bland side. Some of the Barrel Proofs are far superior to others. However, if you asked me to select a brand that consistently produces great, affordable Bourbons, I’d answer Elijah Craig. And that even goes for its flagship Small Batch Bourbon.

 

I realize I’m talking a lot about Elijah Craig, and part of that is because I hardly ever get the opportunity (and I haven’t even delved into the Bourbonlore behind the brand). Today, an opportunity presented itself with its 2025 Ryder Cup Limited Edition Bourbon.

 

If your gut reaction is that this is just a fancy marketing ploy with a flashy box and label, you’d be wrong. True, this is its 94° Small Batch Bourbon, but (and this is a significant point), after maturation, 75% of the batch was then finished in barrels with toasted sugar maple staves, while the other 25% was finished in barrels with toasted applewood staves. Those were then vatted to create this special one-off Elijah Craig Bourbon.

 

"Elijah Craig is proud to once again be the Official Bourbon of the Ryder Cup, and we could think of no better way to honor this one-of-a-kind competition's return to New York than with a Bourbon that The Empire State itself had a hand in inspiring. It's the perfect way to 'cheers' the teams and all the thrills they'll bring golf fans at Bethpage Black and around the world." – Max Stefka, Associate Vice President, Elijah Craig Bourbon

 

There are a few things that I must do before I #DrinkCurious. One is the need for me to calm the heck down. I need to take off my fanboy hat and put on my unbiased whiskey reviewer Helmet of Integrity (I need to remember that term for future reviews!). Second, I am grateful to Elijah Craig for providing me with a sample of the 2025 Ryder Cup Limited Edition in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest (and it will be honest) review. Let’s do this!

 

• Whiskey Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Heaven Hill
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished eight weeks in barrels made from 75% toasted sugar maple and 25% toasted applewood staves (then vatted)
• Alcohol Content: 47% ABV (94°)
• Price per 750mL: $69.99

 

Appearance: Elijah Craig included a golf-ball-shaped glass with its media kit. It is cute, but not something I’d use for conducting a review. Instead, I poured this into my Glencairn glass to explore neat. It was the color of topaz and produced a microthin rim with massive, fast legs.

 

Nose: I let the Bourbon breathe for about ten minutes before bringing the glass to my nose and beginning the sniffing process. A blast of maple sugar leapt toward my nostrils, followed closely by baked apples, cinnamon, clove, and brown sugar. I opened my lips and inhaled the vapor, exposing me to more baked apples.  

 

Palate: The initial sip revealed a velvety texture, which introduced my palate to the tastes of candied maple, caramel, and nutmeg. Then came baked apples, along with cinnamon and cloves. Lightly smoked oak, leather, and rye spice formed the back.  

 

Finish: Clove, cinnamon, maple syrup, baked apples, and smoked oak remained. I timed the duration; it ran 1:14, hovering squarely in the medium universe. It was relatively even, with only a slight ramp from beginning to end. The smoke had a mild drying effect.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Sipping Elijah Craig 2025 Ryder Cup was like drinking a liquid apple fritter. It drank at right about its stated proof; it went down easily without any warmth beyond a gentle Kentucky hug. The maple sugar component was evident yet not overwhelming on the palate.

 

Elijah Craig is known for its oakiness, and it showed up on this release, albeit with a soft, smoky component. The only Elijah Craig familiar thing that I missed was its typical cherry notes, but the baked apple flavor more than made up for any loss. So, in some ways, the classic Elijah Craig was well-represented, while in another way, there was a unique aspect to this experience.

 

I liked it – a lot. I expected (and I keep telling myself to drop any expectations) the smoke and sugar components to be stronger. I would have liked to see this priced $10.00-$15.00 less, but inflation is affecting everything these days. I’m thrilled to have a Bottle in my whiskey library, and if you see this on the shelf, grab it. Cheers!

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.